At its zenith, La Familia Michoacana wielded brutal tactics, a robust operational foundation, and a unique pseudo-religious ideology, establishing itself as a formidable force and captivating global attention. However, this organization has endured significant setbacks, notably the purported and later confirmed demise of its leader, Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias “El Chayo.” While falsely reported dead in 2010, Moreno Gonzalez’s death was confirmed in a 2014 shootout. Subsequently, the Familia Michoacana was largely overshadowed by the Knights Templar, a splinter group that has also faced substantial weakening in recent years.
Despite these blows, La Familia Michoacana remains active today. Fragmented cells continue to engage in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, primarily in areas of Guerrero state, having been largely displaced from Michoacán by remnants of the Knights Templar and other rival groups. Furthermore, the Nueva Familia Michoacana, a group operating locally, is reportedly active in parts of Guerrero and Michoacán, engaging in extortion against avocado producers amidst competition from other criminal entities vying for control of this lucrative illicit market.
History of La Familia Michoacana
Michoacan has a long-standing history as a hub for drug traffickers and production, with many impoverished farmers cultivating marijuana and poppy, the raw materials for heroin. In the late 1990s, El Milenio, an ally of the Tijuana Cartel, held sway over the Michoacan region. However, internal dissent arose, leading to a rebellion by a faction of lieutenants. Accounts vary, with one version suggesting these lieutenants sought the Gulf Cartel’s support to oust their leaders, while another posits that the Gulf Cartel deployed the Zetas to seize control directly. Regardless, by 2003, the Zetas had established dominance in the region.
The Zetas trained these former Milenio lieutenants, proving to be effective instructors but oppressive overlords. Local populations perceived them as intrusive outsiders, and resentment intensified as the Zetas expanded their operations into methamphetamine production. La Familia Michoacana then emerged, presenting itself as a vigilante group. Turning against their former Zetas allies, they targeted methamphetamine addicts and dealers, ironically the very drug that would become their primary revenue source. La Familia Michoacana successfully expelled the Zetas from Michoacan and expanded its reach into other states, including Guerrero, Morelos, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Jalisco, and Mexico City.
The Zetas’ influence on La Familia Michoacana, and subsequently the Knights Templar, remains evident despite their adversarial relationship. Like the Zetas, both groups utilized public messaging on billboards and employed dramatic violence. A stark example is the infamous 2006 incident where five severed heads were displayed on a dance floor, marking La Familia’s public declaration of existence. In response, the Zetas disseminated propaganda comparing La Familia Michoacana to “radical Islamists,” driven “crazy by ice” (methamphetamine).
La Familia Michoacana cultivated a strong regional identity, asserting public support in western Michoacan, where, at its peak, the cartel functioned as a de facto governing body. They intervened in local disputes, provided employment, and engaged in social welfare activities. Adopting rhetoric akin to political insurgency or an evangelical movement, La Familia Michoacana rapidly recruited hundreds of members.
At its height, La Familia Michoacana was among Mexico’s most potent, violent, and influential criminal organizations. Their activities spanned drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and racketeering. The cartel established international connections for methamphetamine distribution, reaching as far as Holland, India, China, and Bulgaria. Criminal groups within the United States, in major cities like Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, directly collaborated with La Familia Michoacana for cocaine shipments, a surprising development given the group’s distance from the U.S. border.
Proximity to the major port city of Lazaro Cardenas provided La Familia Michoacana with access to cocaine shipments from Colombia and precursor chemicals for methamphetamine production from Asia. However, the struggle for control of this port has been exceptionally violent, resulting in an estimated 1,500 deaths linked to disputes involving La Familia. Beyond drug trafficking, extortion schemes formed a reliable income stream for La Familia Michoacana. At one point, it was estimated that 85 percent of legitimate businesses in Michoacan made regular protection payments to the cartel.
The leader, Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias “El Chayo” or “El Mas Loco,” was initially reported killed in a shootout with police in Apatzingan, Michoacan, in December 2010. Following this supposed death in January 2011, La Familia Michoacana announced its intention to “completely dissolve.” In typical pious language, they declared their aim was to end the suffering of the people of Michoacan at the hands of the Federal Police.
However, reports of El Chayo’s death proved false, as long-standing rumors suggested. On March 9, 2014, government officials confirmed that the former Familia Michoacana leader, believed to have subsequently worked with the Knights Templar, had been killed in a shootout with security forces in Tumbiscatio, Michoacan. Fingerprint analysis was cited as proof of his identity.
Moreno’s initial presumed death triggered a schism within La Familia Michoacana. Jose de Jesus Mendez, alias “El Chango,” aligned with La Resistencia, while Servando Gomez, alias “La Tuta,” formed the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar publicly announced their emergence in March 2011 through banners declaring they were replacing La Familia Michoacana.
The Knights Templar appeared to decisively overpower their former La Familia Michoacana counterparts. Mendez, leading the remnants of La Familia, was apprehended in June 2011. He reportedly confessed to forming an alliance with the Zetas, their former enemies, indicating his desperation against the Knights Templar. By November 2011, the government reportedly considered La Familia Michoacana virtually extinct, with the Knights Templar assuming control of much of their operations and networks.
Currently, the leadership and structure of the revived La Familia Michoacana, sometimes referred to as Nueva Familia Michoacana, remain unclear.
Leadership of La Familia Michoacana
Presently, Hector Garcia, known as “El Player,” is believed to oversee La Familia Michoacana’s operations in Guerrero and the State of Mexico. However, the current extent of the criminal group’s power remains ambiguous.
Previously, Jose de Jesus Mendez, alias “El Chango,” led La Familia Michoacana, becoming the head of the old guard after the Knights Templar splintered off in 2011. El Chango’s arrest in June of that year, followed by authorities’ assessment of the Familia as nearly defunct by November, marked a significant leadership shift.
Even before the split, La Familia Michoacana was believed to be comprised of up to three internal factions, each reportedly engaged in partnerships with various cartels. One faction was allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, another to the Gulf Cartel, and a third to the Beltran Leyva Organization. Further divisions existed within the executive council, previously headed by Moreno.
Each regional cell of La Familia Michoacana reportedly enjoyed a degree of autonomy. Specialization was evident, with branches dedicated to methamphetamine production, extortion rackets, or operating as hitmen, among other roles.
Geography of La Familia Michoacana’s Operations
As its name suggests, La Familia Michoacana originated and was based in Michoacan, particularly the mountainous Sierra Madre del Sur region. Their core power base was located in the seven municipalities comprising “Tierra Caliente” in southwest Michoacan, approximately 600 miles from the U.S. border.
La Familia Michoacana also established cells in the states of Guerrero, Morelos, Guanajuato, Colima, Queretaro, Jalisco, and Mexico City, expanding their geographical reach beyond their home state.
As of 2020, the group’s primary areas of activity are Michoacán and Guerrero, where they struggle to maintain control against groups like the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) and smaller armed cells.
Allies and Enemies of La Familia Michoacana
Initially, La Familia Michoacana collaborated with the Zetas to overthrow the Valencia family, the established trafficking organization in Michoacan. However, La Familia publicly declared its independence in 2006 with the infamous nightclub incident, gaining international notoriety. Subsequently, they formed alliances with the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartels to combat the Zetas, their former allies, and to expand into new territories along the U.S.-Mexico border region.
La Familia Michoacana developed a notorious capacity for corrupting local government officials, partly fueled by substantial profits from methamphetamine production. They fostered strong regional loyalties through social projects, including building schools and roads, providing drug trade-related employment, and effectively acting as a substitute for law enforcement in resolving local disputes.
In the early 2010s, La Familia Michoacana became embroiled in a fierce conflict with its successor group, the Knights Templar, leading to further fragmentation and weakening.
Currently, what remains of La Familia Michoacana is focused on defending against incursions from the CJNG and other smaller armed groups in southern Mexico, where they maintain a presence.
Prospects for La Familia Michoacana
Today’s La Familia Michoacana is a diminished version of its former self. However, it has not been entirely eradicated from the criminal landscape of southern Mexico. The group continues to embed itself within local communities that are crucial to its criminal operations, suggesting a degree of resilience and adaptability despite significant setbacks.
